Why Get Yourself A Few Credit Cards?


wealthymatters,comHere are the reasons to get a credit card:

1.There are some businesses which will accept payment by no other means.And asking to borrow someone else ‘s card is not always an option.

2.There are some societies where they are so ubiquitous that if you don’t have one you raise suspicion about your identity, character, creditworthiness and ability to pay for your purchases.

3.Stupid as it is,there are a lot of places where you are judged by your cards ,their exclusivity and their limits.This is a lot like being judged by your clothes,your accessories,the vehicle you drive and the accent you sport.A FU attitude is not always an option…… conversely, if you are feeling the need for a bit of power dressing,your cards will again come in handy. Read more of this post

Historic Sensex Ratios


wealthymatters,comMemory has its limitations.If ever you want  to step back and go over historic P/Es,P/B and Dividend Yields of the SENSEX to get a better grip on things, here are the links:

1.For P/E link

2.For P/B link

3.For Dividend Yield link

The Richest Man In Babylon


wealthymatters.com

‘The Richest Man In Babylon’  is a book by George Samuel Clason,first published in 1926, which teaches simple lessons in financial wisdom through a collection of parables set in ancient Babylon.

The book is well deserving of its status as a personal finance classic and is an extremely easy read both for adults and children.The parables have the power to make an indelible impression on the mind and teach lessons for life.I feel the book should join all the childhood classics such as Cinderella,Sleeping Beauty,Snow White, Aesop’s fables et al. After all it is so much easier and fun to learn financial wisdom from parables than through bitter experience.

Copies of the book can be bought online and in book stores easily and they make excellent gifts.It is also an excellent title for your personal library.Alsoyou can get free copies legally as it is off copyright.Here is the link to a free copy.

The following are my favourite excerpts from the book:

“…a man’s wealth is not in the purse he carries. A fat purse quickly empties if there be no golden stream to refill it. Arkad has an income that constantly keeps his purse full, no matter how liberally he spends.”

“Thou makest me to realize the reason why we have never found any measure of wealth. We never sought it. Thou hast labored patiently to build the staunchest chariots in Babylon. To that purpose was devoted your best endeavors. Therefore, at it thou didst succeed. I strove to become a skillful lyre player. And, at it I did succeed.” Read more of this post

Retirement Planning


wealthymatters.comAge is going to affect all of us differently.Some of us are going to live longer than others and in great good health.And each of us has a different idea of what would be a perfect lifestyle in our old age.Health permitting, there will always be the people who prefer to simply read or garden,others who would travel the world and the few who would pilot jets for fun.Knowing yourself and what you want and knowing your family and what they would prefer is the basis of retirement planning.

Next comes the question of when, if ever, you would like to retire.There are always the people who love what they do and  Buffett – like ‘skip to work’.The’d love to work as long as possible.However there are others who would dutifully eat their vegetables first and then treat retirement as well deserved dessert to be enjoyed at 25,35,40,45…….65 or any other age of their choice.Health and the economy however might force people to cut back irrespective of their wishes. Read more of this post

How To Invest A Windfall